Gregory Campbell (politician)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other persons named Gregory Campbell, see Gregory Campbell (disambiguation).

Gregory Lloyd Campbell (born February 15, 1953) is a Northern Ireland unionist politician, and the Democratic Unionist Party member of the British parliament for East Londonderry.

Campbell was raised in Derry's Waterside area and was educated at Derry Technical College and the University of Ulster (Magee College site). He joined the DUP in the 1970s and was first elected to Londonderry County Borough Council in 1977. Campbell briefly stepped down in 1984 when the council changed its name to Derry City Council, although before he returned to his seat not long after and still holds it.

He soon built a reputation as the DUP's leading figure in the North-West of the province and was chosen to contest the Foyle constituency in the general election of 1983. He contested the same seat again in the general elections of 1987 and 1992, although each time he finished second behind Social Democratic and Labour Party leader John Hume.

Given that Foyle had a predominantly nationalist population, the increasingly high profile Campbell was transferred to the more winnable East Londonderry seat, where he ran unsuccessfully in 1997. Campbell won the seat at his second attempt in the 2001 general election, gaining a majority of 1,901 over sitting MP William Ross of the Ulster Unionist Party. He was re-elected in the 2005 general election, this time securing an increased majority of 7,498 over the new UUP candidate David McClarty. He is also a member of the currently-suspended Northern Ireland Assembly, topping the Londonderry East poll (from which 6 members are elected) in both the 1998 election and in that of 2003. He was appointed Minister of Regional Development in the Northern Ireland Executive in July 2000.